Fastener for liner bag in waste receptacle

ABSTRACT

A fastener device in the form of a generally U-shaped wire clip for manual application to temporarily cause a plastic bag liner to be held in inserted position in a waste container and to also serve as a twist-tie closure for the plastic bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to liner bags for wastereceptacles, and more particularly pertains to a fastener device and amethod for its use in retaining a plastic liner bag in itswaste-receiving disposition within a waste receptacle.

[0002] It is currently common practice at commercial and householdlocations to provide waste receptacles, often commonly referred to aswastebaskets, with plastic liners in the form of bags which are manuallyremovable and replaceable as required. It is quite common to use a smallwaste receptacle formed of plastic and located in a bathroom and to usea larger size but similar receptacle in other desired householdlocations, the best example perhaps being the household kitchen area.Such a receptacle is commonly provided with a plastic bag or liner thatis fitted substantially within the receptacle whereby an outer flap endof the bag extends outwardly and over the receptacle's rim. It isuncommon for such a bag to be of a size to fit firmly and tightly in itsinstalled position in the receptacle; most often the bag is relativelylarge compared to the receptacle whereby a major portion of the bag fitsloosely within the receptacle and there is a bag end flap that extendsoutwardly and downwardly relative to the peripheral rim of thereceptacle. Depending on the nature of the waste or refuse deposited inthe lined receptacle, it is not unusual and is quite objectionable forthe bag to be dislodged from its original installed position such thatthe outer flap end shifts downwardly within the receptacle.

[0003] Dislodgement of the bag is a problem because additional trashdeposited in the receptacle tends to cover over and conceal the bag flapwithin the receptacle and cause removal of the bag to be inconvenient.The person doing so must thrust his or her hands into the receptacle andinto the trash contained therein in order to grasp the flap and withdrawthe bag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] This invention comprehends a fastener device for temporarilyfastening a plastic bag or liner in position on a trash receptacle. Thefastener device is formed from a length of malleable wire of uniformdiameter. The device is a one-piece clip having a curved intermediateloop portion and a pair of straight spaced-apart coextensive legportions. The device is preferably of the size of a No. 2 paper clip.The leg portions are integral to and project from the curved loopportion equidistantly, in a common plane from the curved loop portion.

[0005] The fastener device is utilized in combination with a plastic bagand a trash receptacle. The receptacle is the type typically found in ahome or commercial establishment, having a body portion with anupwardly-facing opening defined by a rim. The plastic bag is containedsubstantially within the trash receptacle as a liner and has a flapportion extending outside the rim and outwardly and downwardlytherefrom, against the peripheral sidewall of the receptacle which isimmediately subjacent the rim.

[0006] The method of utilizing the fastener or clip device incombination with the receptacle and its plastic bag liner involves aperson manually grasping the device in a manner similar to holding anignition key for an automobile and firmly thrusting the device againstthe outer flap such that the ends of the legs pierce the flap andcontact the outer sidewall of the receptacle, and then manually twistingthe device whereby the plastic bag bunches and gathers about the legs ofthe device, causing the flap to contract snugly against the outer wallof the receptacle. With the legs of the device engaged in the liner flapmaterial, the outwardly-extending portion of the device is manually bentand deformed upwardly and over the receptacle rim whereby it conforms tothe rim shape such that the loop portion of the device points downwardlyinto the receptacle and is firmly wedged against the inside receptaclesurface and the overlying liner. A fastening action is thus completed,with the device being left in the position described until such time asit is desirable to remove the filled plastic liner from the receptacle.The removal action involves manually bending the clip back toward itsoriginal disposition whereby it can be withdrawn from its engagementwith the bag flap portion and then, if desired, it can be used as atwist-tie about the end of the closed plastic bag prior to discardingthe bag as refuse.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a trash receptacle containing aplastic bag liner, illustrating a first embodiment of a fastener deviceutilized in accordance with the present invention;

[0008]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the receptacle and plastic linerfirst shown in FIG. 1 and illustrating the disposition of the fasteneror clip device first shown in FIG. 1 as it is utilized in accordancewith the present invention;

[0009]FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the fastener device first shownin FIG. 1 but shown in comparatively larger actual scale;

[0010]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the fastener device shown in FIG.3;

[0011]FIG. 5 is an alternate shape constituting a second embodiment of afastener device in accordance with the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the device first shown in FIG. 5;

[0013]FIG. 7 is an elevational view of an enlarged segment of either thedevice shown in FIG. 3 or the device shown in FIG. 5, as taken alonglines VII-VII of either FIG. 3 or FIG. 5;

[0014]FIG. 8 is a perspective fragmentary view illustrating the finaldisposition of the fastener device relative to the receptacle andplastic bag first shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

[0015]FIG. 9 is an elevational view in reduced scale showing a plastictrash bag and showing a selective final disposition of the fastenerdevice shown in FIGS. 1-4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016]FIGS. 1 and 2 show a trash receptacle or wastebasket 10 containingsubstantially within it a liner or plastic bag 12. The bag 12 has anouter flap or end 14 extending over the rim of the receptacle 10, therim being hidden beneath the flap 14. A fastener device in the form of aclip 16 is shown in FIG. 1 being manually applied in a dispositiontransverse to the sidewall of the basket 10.

[0017]FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate one embodiment of the fastener device orclip 16 having a looped portion 17 and extending legs 18 and 20. FIGS. 5and 6 show a slightly different shape for a fastener device or clip inaccordance with the present invention, the clip 22 having a loop portion24 with integral leg portions 26 and 28 projecting from the loop portion24 an equal distance and in parallel relationship to each other. Theclips 16 and 22 are preferably formed from a malleable wire having thegeneral characteristics of the wire in a jumbo or No. 2 paper clip. Theclips 16 and 22 may be manually bent in accordance with the method ofutilizing the invention and will hold the form to which each is manuallybent until such time as manual force may be reapplied to alter theconfiguration. As shown in FIG. 7, the outer or distal end of the legs18, 20, 26, and 28 may be provided with a sharpened end point 30 tofacilitate the use of the clip as hereafter described.

[0018] Clip 16 is shown in an operative or functional position in FIGS.1, 2, 8, and 9. The clip 16 is grasped in an individual's hand andplaced substantially as shown in FIG. 1 whereby the ends of the legs 18and 20 pierce and penetrate through the flap 14 and come to rest againstthe outer surface of the receptacle 10 just below the circular rim ofthe receptacle 10. A twisting or rotative action is applied to the clip16 whereby the adjacent flap material is caused to bunch and gather intoa clump 32 encircling the legs of the clip 16. The foregoing manualaction pulls the flap tightly against the outer sidewall of thereceptacle 10 so the bag is prevented from slipping downwardly into thereceptacle as a result of trash being dropped into the receptacle. Then,the outwardly-extending loop portion 17 of the fastener device 16 ismanually bent upwardly and over the flap 14 and rim 10 a of thereceptacle 10, as shown in FIG. 8. The clip 16 is thus bendably formedover and against the receptacle rim whereby the loop 17 extendsdownwardly within the receptacle to hold the flap 14 in place as FIG. 8illustrates.

[0019] Having heretofore described the utilization of the fasteningdevice 16 in combination with the receptacle 10 and plastic bag 12, itshould be clearly understood that the simplified shape of the fasteningdevice 22 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 would be employed in the same manner asdescribed with reference to the fastening device 16 to temporarilyfasten a plastic bag in its installed position on the receptacle 10.

[0020] The receptacle 10 shown in the drawings is only an example of oneshape of a receptacle to which the present invention may be applied.Other common receptacles are rectilinear in cross-section and/or smalleror larger, depending upon location and intended use. There is no reasonwhy the inventive concept herein disclosed would not be applicable to asubstantially large heavy-duty plastic bag used in a garbage can orsimilar outdoor container or with other receptacle configurations usedcommercially and industrially.

[0021]FIG. 9 is an illustration of a plastic bag after it has beenwithdrawn from its support receptacle and having the fastening device 16reshaped to close the bag, the illustration showing the device 16twisted about the neck of the bag 12 to act as a twist-tie closure meanson a trash-filled bag prior to its disposal.

[0022] While the foregoing description has shown and described thefundamental features as applied to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat modification embodied in various forms may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A fastener device for temporarily fastening a plastic bag in positionon a trash receptacle, formed from a length of wire of uniform diameter,comprising: a one-piece manually-twistable clip having a curved loopportion and a pair of straight spaced-apart coextensive leg portions;and the leg portions projecting equidistantly and in the same plane fromthe curved loop portion.
 2. The fastener device of claim 1 wherein thecurved loop portion has a lateral dimension greater than the lateraldistance between the leg portions.
 3. The fastener device of claim 1 incombination with a plastic bag and a trash receptacle of the type havinga body portion with an opening defined by a rim; a substantial portionof the bag disposed within the body portion and having a flap portionextending outside the rim and wrapped against the rim and the exteriorsurface of the receptacle; the clip being manually placed outwardly onthe flap with its leg portions projecting through the flap and againstthe receptacle surface; an area of the flap circumjacent the clip legportions after a manual twisting action having been applied to the clipwhereby the flap is drawn tightly against the outer surface of thereceptacle.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the clip is deformablybent over the rim whereby the loop portion projects inside thereceptacle and against a point on the plastic bag to hold it tightlyagainst the inside surface of the body portion adjacent the rim.
 5. Amethod of fastening a plastic bag on and within a trash receptacle,comprising the steps of: (1) placing a plastic bag within a trashreceptacle whereby a major portion of the bag conforms generally to theinside surface of the receptacle and a flap portion of the bag extendsoutwardly from the receptacle rim and overlays the outer surface of thereceptacle adjacent the rim; (2) manually engaging the flap portion at apoint spaced from the rim with a generally U-shaped malleable wire cliphaving a pair of projecting spaced-apart coextensive and parallel legswhereby the legs are generally transverse to the receptacle sidewallsuch that distal ends of the legs penetrate through the flap portion;(3) manually rotatably twisting the clip to thereby cause the flapportion to be bunched and twisted and gathered by and about the cliplegs such that the flap portion is pulled snugly against thereceptacle's peripheral outer surface.
 6. The method of claim 5comprising the further step of: (4) manually bending the wire clip overthe receptacle rim whereby the clip is firmly pressed and attached onthe rim.
 7. The method of claim 6 comprising the further steps of: (5)manually removing the clip from the disposition set forth in (4) above;(6) manually gathering the bag flap portion and closing it to form aclosed neck portion; (7) manually forming the clip as a twist-tieclosing means about the neck portion.